Reel construction

ABSTRACT

A REEL CONSTRUCTION FOR HIGH-TEMPERATURE APPLICATIONS. A SHAFT IS PROVIDED THROUGH WHICH COOLING FLUID MAY BE CIRCULATED. BEARING MEANS MOUNTS THE SHAFT FOR ROTATION. A REEL IS CARRIED BY THE SHAFT SPACED FROM THE BEARING MEANS AND IS SUBJECTED TO ELEVATED TEMPERATURES. A PRESSURE-EXERTING ARRANGEMENT IS PROVIDED FOR PREVENTING AXIAL SHIFTING OF THE REEL RELATIVE TO THE SHAFT AND IS IN HEAT-EXCHANGING CONTACT WITH THE BEARING MEANS. ANNULAR PRESSURE-TRANSMITTING MEMBERS SURROUND THE SHAFT INTERMEDIATE THE PRESSURE ARRANGEMENT AND THE REEL IN ABUTMENT WITH THE LATTER. THESE MEMBERS HAVE RELATIVELY LARGE INNER CIRCUMFERENTIAL SURFACES CONTACTING THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE SHAFT AND RELATIVELY SMALL AXIAL ABUTMENT FACES CONTACTING THE REEL OR AXIALLY ADJACENT ANNULAR MEMBER. INTERMEDIATE THESE ANNULAR MEMBERS AND THE PRESSURE ARRANGEMENT IN PRESSURE-TRANSMITTING ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH ARE INTERMEDIATE ANNULAR MEMBERS EACH OF WHICH ALSO SURROUNDS THE SHAFT AND EACH OF WHICH INCLUDES AN INNER ANNULAR SECTION IN THERMAL CONTACT WITH THE SHAFT AND MADE FROM A MATERIAL OF HIGH THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, AND AN OUTER ANNULAR SECTION CONCENTRIC WITH THE INNER ANNULAR SECTION IN THERMAL CONTACT THEREWITH AND MADE FROM A MATERIAL OF LOW THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Artur Seibel Remscheid, Germany [2i] Appl. No. 815.406 [22] Filed Apr. ".1969 [45] Patented June 28, I971 [73] Assignee Bergische Stahl-lndustrie Remscheid, Germany [54] REEL CONSTRUCTION 10 Claims, 1 Drawing Fig.

[52] U.S.Cl 242/78.l, 34/153, 242/68 [5 1] Int. Cl ..B2lc 47/04, F26b 13/00 [50] Field of Search 242/78.1, 78.3; 34/ l 53 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,l 17,640 5/1938 Wean et al 242/78.l 2,589,093 3/1952 Klouman et al 242/781 Primary Examiner-George F. Mautz Attorney-Michael S. Striker ABSTRACT: A reel construction for high-temperature applications. A shaft is provided through which cooling fluid may be circulated. Bearing means mounts the shaft for rotation. A reel is carried by the shaft spaced from the bearing means and is subjected to elevated temperatures. A pressure-exerting arrangement is provided for preventing axial shifting of the reel relative to the shaft and is in heat-exchanging contact with the bearing means. Annular pressure-transmitting members surround the shaft intermediate the pressure arrangement and the reel in abutment with the latter. These members have relatively large inner circumferential surfaces contacting the outer surface of the shaft and relatively small axial abutment faces contacting the reel or axially adjacent annular member. Intermediate these annular members and the pressure arrangement in pressure-transmitting engagement therewith are intermediate annular members each of which also surrounds the shaft and each of which includes an inner annular section in thermal contact with the shaft and made from a material of high thermal conductivity, and an outer annular section concentric with the inner annular section in thermal contact therewith and made from a material of low thermal conductivity.

PATENTED JUN28 I97! Rm 9 Llm :R N P lnven for:

42mm $67651, & 4: ma M41,

REEL CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to reel constructions and more particularly to reel constructions in which the reel is subjected to elevated temperatures which must not be transmitted to the bearing for the reel shaft.

Still more specifically the present invention relates to socalled coilers for use in industrial heating and annealing furnaces such as are found in Steckel mills and the like.

Such coilers are provided for the purpose of receiving and/or dispensing wires, ribbons, strips or the like of metal which is being heated or annealed. The reel itself onto which the material is to be wound, or from which it is to be unwound, is so located usually within the confines of the furnace as to be subjected to the elevated temperatures which prevail. Added to this is the fact that the material itself is also at elevated temperature and the end result is that the reel is heated to extremely high temperatures in many cases. For the sake of convenience the term metal tape will hereafter be employed to designate all elongated metal materials such as wires, ribbons, tapes, strips and the like.

Conventionally reel constructions of the type used for such an application comprise a reel mounted on a shaft which in turn is mounted in suitable bearings. The prior art teaches a construction utilizing special members to reduce the transmission of thermal energy from the reel located within the confines of the furnace to the shaft bearing which is located outside of the furnace. Under many ordinary operating conditions this construction is fully satisfactory. However, there are ap plications where the coiler is subjected to exceedingly high static and thermal stresses in which case the known constructions are insufficient.

The reason for this is that in these circumstances the static stress considerations dictate the necessity for maintaining the spacing between the bearings which are located at opposite axial sides of the reel as small as possible. This requirement, in turn, reduces the axial shaft length located intermediate the reel and the respective bearing and therefore reduces the number of pressure-transmitting elements which can be interposed. Coilers which operate under these high-stress conditions are subjected to temperatures in the range of substantially l,000 C. and l,l C., that is the reel as well as portions of the stress-transmitting elements which are located close to the reel are exposed to these temperatures. The aforementioned relatively small available axial distance between the reel and the respective shaft bearings is inadequate, under these circumstances, to accommodate a sufficient number of the stress-transmitting members to assure that the temperature is reduced during its transmission from the reel to the respective bearing to a level where it no longer is harmful to the bearing.

It will thus be appreciated that it is necessary to assure that the temperature differential between the shaft bearings and the stress-transmitting elements which simultaneously serve as heat-dissipating elements, be large enough to prevent damage to the bearings, even if the cooling system for the shaft should be out of operation for brief periods of time with the result that the pressure-transmitting elements undergo an increase in their temperature. It is furthermore desirable to be able to use bearings utilizing synthetic plastic material; such bearings are quite customary and are well known to those skilled in the art. However, with the existing constructions of coilers known at the present time such synthetic plastic bearings cannot be employed because they can be subjected only to temperatures approximating 280 C.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a reel construction of the type under discussion wherein the transmission of thermal energy from the reel itself to the axially spaced bearings is so reduced that the bearings themselves are subjected to temperatures significantly lower than the temperature of the reel and within the safety range of the bearing materials.

In pursuance of the above objects, and others which will become apparent hereafter, one feature of my invention resides in the provision of a reel construction for high-temperature applications, which construction comprises cooled shaft means and bearing means mounting the shaft means for rotation. A reel member is carried by the shaft means spaced from the bearing means and is subjected to elevated temperatures. Pressure means is provided operative for preventing axial shifting of the reel member relative to the shaft means, and this pressure means is in heat-exchanging contact with the bearing means.

There is further provided a plurality of annular pressurea transmitting members which surround the shaft means-intermediate the reel member and the bearing means and which each have a relatively large inner circumferential surface in heat-exchanging contact with the shaft means and relatively small axial abutment faces which are in contact with the respectively axially adjacent member, that is either with one of the other pressure-transmitting members or with the reel member, as the case may be. Intermediate means which is interposed between and in abutting engagement with the pressure-transmitting means and the pressure means, respectively, retards the transmission of thermal energy from the reel member to the bearing means.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The single FIGURE isa somewhat diagrammatic fragmentary side elevation in partial section of an exemplary embodiment ofmy invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Discussion the drawing in detail it will be seen that the illustration is somewhat diagrammatic and rather fragmentary. It will be appreciated that the various members carried by the hollow shaft 11 are of annular configuration and surround the shaft 11. However, it is not thought necessary to show more than a portion of each annular member as long as it is clearly pointed out that each of these members is in fact annular and that the nonillustrated portions have been omitted for the sake of clarity. It is further pointed out that the drawing illustrates only the right-hand half ofa reel construction according to the present invention and that the entire reel construction in cludes, additionally, a left-hand half which is mirror-symmetri-. cal to the illustrated right-hand half.

Finally, it should still be pointed out that the general type of .reel construction here under discussion, as wellas its primary mode of employment in heating and annealing furnaces, is disclosed in more detail in the aforementioned German Pat. No. 1,192,680 to which reference may be had.

Referring, with these preliminary comments in mind, to the drawing it will be seen that l have provided a hollow shaft 11 which carries a reel 12 consisting of a plurality of annular portions axially adjacent one another. The construction of the reel 12 itself is not shown in detail because it does not form a part of the invention, and also because it is disclosed in detail in the aforementioned German Patent.

A helical spring 13 annularly surrounds the shaft 11 at the right-hand end portion thereof, as illustrated, and it will be appreciated that in the illustrated embodiment a similar spring will be provided at the nonillustrated lefthand end portion of the shaft 11. The purpose of the springs 13, which are expansion springs, is to exert pressure against the reel 12 to prevent the annular portions thereof from shifting axially with respect to one another and to the shaft 11. A nut member 14 is threaded onto the end portion of the shaft 11 and serves as an abutment for the spring 13, it being understood that the spring 13 may be prestressed in dependence upon the extent to which the nut member 14 is screwed more or less deeply onto the end portion ofthe shaft 11.

lnwardly of the spring 13 the shaft 11 is journaled in a bearing 34 of known construction, so that a detailed description of this bearing is not believed necessary. The purpose of the invention is to prevent transmission to the bearing 34 of heat from the reel 12 and of such a magnitude that the bearing 34 would be damaged.

A sleeve 29 surrounds a portion of the shaft 11, as illustrated, and is provided with an abutment shoulder 30 against which the expansion spring 13 bears. The sleeve 29 is capable of axial shifting on the shaft 11 and extends through the bearing 34 so that the latter surrounds the sleeve 29 in thermally conductive relationship therewith. The sleeve 29 is to transmit pressure from the spring 13 to the reel 12. This is accom plished by providing a plurality of pressure-transmitting members 15 which, it should be understood, are of annular con figuration and which surround the shaft 11 adjacent the reel 12. A relatively small annular axial end face 16 of the annular member 15 located closest to the reel 12, abuts against the same in pressure-transmitting contact therewith, as illustrated. Similar relatively small annular axial end faces 17 and 18 are provided on the various members 15 and abut with one another. The manner in which the axial ends of the respective members 15 are recessed radially inwardly of these annular end faces 17 and 18 is clearly shown in the drawing. Compared to the axial end faces 16, 17 and 18 the inner circum ferential surfaces 19 of the members 15, that is the surfaces which are direct heat-exchanging contact with the outer circumferential surface of the cooled shaft 11, are relatively large. 1

Intermediate the members 15 and the sleeve 29 the shaft 11 is further surrounded by a plurality of elements which in effect constitute thermal buffers, that is elements which are intended to retard the transmission of thermal energy from the reel 12 through the members 15 and into the sleeve 29 which, as mentioned before, is in heat-exchanging contact with the bearing 34. These buffer elements, as they might be called, are here illustrated as annular elements 21 and 24. Each of the elements 21 and 24 is of two-part construction. Thus, the element 21 consists ofan inner annular portion 21A surrounding the shaft 11 in heat-exchanging contact with the outer circumferential surface thereof, and a concentric outer annular portion 218, and similarly the element 24 actually consists of an inner annular portion 24A and a concentric outer annular portion 248. Finally, in the illustrated embodiment, yet a further similar buffer element 27 is provided which consists of the inner annular portion 27A and the outer annular portion 278. in accordance with the present invention the respective inner annular portions 21A, 24A and 27A always consist of a material having a high thermal conductivity, such as copper. The inner circumferential surfaces of the portions 21A, 24A and 27A, such as the inner circumferential surface 22 of the portion 21A, are in thermally conductive contact with the outer circumferential surface ofthe hollow shaft 11. The inner circumferential surfaces of the outer annular portions 21B, 24B and 27B are in thermally conductive contact with the respective outer circumferential surfaces of the associated annular portions 21A, 24A and 27A, respectively. The outer annular portions 21B, 24B and 27B consist of material having low thermal conductivity, such as cast chromium steel. in addition, each ofthe outer annular portions 24B and 27B is provided on its outer circumferential surface with cooling ribs 26 and 28, respectively, which serve to increase convection, that is to radiate heat to the ambient atmosphere and thereby to cool the portions 248 and 278. Similar ribs could of course be provided on the portion 218. The furnace wall through which the shaft 11 extends is identified with reference designation W and it will be seen that the members 15 and the element 21 are largely located within the confines of the opening in the wall W, as illustrated. Of course, this ,is again by way of example only and the element 21 could also be located entirely within the confines of the opening in the wall W, or entirely at the exterior thereof.

Additionally, an annular member 20'of thermally insulating material, such as pressed asbestos, is interposed between the element 21 and the annular member 15 closest to it. A similar annular member 23 of thermally insulating material is interposed between the elements 21 and 24. In each case it should be noted that the width of the members 20 and 23 is such that a gap 25 exists between the element 21 and the adjacent annular member 15 on the one hand, and the elements 21 and 24 on the other hand. In other words, these gaps preclude direct heat-transmitting contact. Thus, the members 20 and 23, and the elements 21, 24 and 27, together constitute a thermal buffer intermediate the elements 15 (and thereby the reel 12) and the sleeve 29, precluding the establishment of a thermal bridge between the members 15 and the sleeve 29. Pressure between the sleeve 29 and the members 15 (and thereby the reel 12) is transmitted through the intermediary of the members 20 and 23 as well as the elements 21, 24 and 27.

Cooling of the hollow shaft 11 is effected in suitable manner, for instance by circulating cooling water therethrough. A tubular member 31 extends through the shaft 11 and in the illustrated embodiment it is assumed that fresh cooling water is introduced into the open end 32 of the shaft 11 to circulate through the annular passage between the shaft 11 and the inserted tubular member 31, and to enter in well known manner at the nonillustrated left-hand side of the construction into the interior of the tubular member 31 to return therein to the outlet 33 thereof.

It is pointed out that by resorting to my novel construction the transmission of heat from the reel 12 to the bearing 34 is reduced drastically. Thus, if the reel 12 is subjected to temperatures on the order of l,O00 C. or 1,100" C., the transmission of this temperature is so decreased that the bearing 34 is heated only to a much lower temperature, and in fact to a temperature which is low enough to permit the bearing 34 to be constructed in known manner of synthetic plastic material. Furthermore, no damage of the bearing 34 will occur with my novel construction even if the circulation of cooling fluid through the shaft 11 should be interrupted for brief periods of time, because the efficiency of my thermal buffer system is adequate to delay a rise in the temperature of the bearing 34 to the danger point for short periods of time even in the absence ofthe cooling effect ofthe shaft 11.

it will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a coiler for use in conjunction with industrial furnaces, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Iclaim:

l. A reel construction for high-temperature applications, comprising in combination, cooled shaft means; bearing means mounting said shaft means for rotation; a reel member carried by said shaft means spaced from said bearing means and being subjected to elevated temperatures; pressure means operative for preventing axial shifting of said reel member relative to said shaft means, and being in heat-exchanging contact with said bearing means; pressure-transmitting means intermediate said pressure means and said reel member in abutment with the latter, said pressure-transmitting means comprising a plurality of annular pressure-transmitting members surrounding said shaft means intermediate said reel member and said bearing means and each having a relatively large inner circumferential surface in heat-exchanging contact with said shaft means and relatively small axial abutment faces in contact with the respective axially adjacent member; and intermediate means interposed between and in abutting engagement with said pressure-transmitting means and said pressure means, and being operative for retarding the transmission of thermal energy from'said reel member to said bearing means.

2. A reel construction as defined in claim 1, said intermediate means comprising a plurality of intermediate annular members each surrounding said shaft means and each including an inner annular section in contact with said shaft means and made from a material of high thermal conductivity, and an outer annular section concentric with said inner annular section in thermally conductive-contact therewith and made from a material of low thermal conductivity.

3. A reel construction as defined inclaim 2, wherein said material ofsaid innersections is copper.

4. A reel construction as defined in claim 2, wherein said material of said outer sections'is chromium steel.

5. A reel construction as defined in claim 2; and further comprising elements of thermally insulating material interposed between at least some of said annular members.

6. A reel construction as defined in claim 5, wherein said thermally insulating material is asbestos.

7. A reel construction as defined in claim 5, each of said elements'of thermally insulating material being so configurated as to prevent abutting contact of the annular members between which it is interposed.

8. A reel construction as defined in claim 2, at least one of said intermediate annular members having an outer circumferential surface provided with a plurality of cooling ribs for radiating heat'energy into the-ambient atmosphere.

9. A reel construction as defined in claim 2, said shaft means comprising a hollow shaft member, and a tubular member received in and extending through said shaft member to define therewith an annular passage through which fresh cooling fluid may be circulated for subsequent return through said tubular member.

10. A reel construction as defined in claim 9, said shaft member having an open end for introduction of the fresh and removal of the spent cooling fluid, said bearing means surrounding said shaft member inwardly of said open end, and said pressure means atleast in part surrounding said shaft member intermediate said bearing means and said open end. 

